Never Forget, Brother
by Riku's Dark Vampire Girl
Summary: Pretty much tells what Yazoo and Kadaj go through before meeting Loz and reaching Midgar. Also tells my version of why Kadaj wants to go after Cloud. Some brotherly fluff.
1. Chapter 1

"Ooohhh, uhhhhh" he moaned, trying to find his way around in the darkness. "So, dark. I can't, can't find my way!" he thought as he began to hesitate. His body was weak, his eyesight as blind as a bat's and he was beginning to fall. "Somebody, please. Help me, please. I'm lost" he fell to the ground. Years seemed to have passed as he lie on the cold rock ground, waiting for somebody, anybody, to help him. "Are you okay?" a male voice asked. The boy tried to open his eyes, but couldn't. "Help" he managed to peep. "You must be one of them. Number 12, huh? Well, even you shouldn't be left out here. Guys, can you help me with him?" the man called back to his friends. Several hands gently picked up the boy and set him near a rock. The boy's head lolled to the side against the rough surface. "Where, where am I?" the boy whispered. "Poor guy, do you think he's alright?" a female voice felt his head. "So soft" the boy thought at the warmth of her hand. "I'm not sure, Tifa. All the clones seemed to have acted this way. I don't think there's anything we can do for him" the male voice sighed. "Can we at least take him back home with us, Cloud? Maybe we can raise this one to be a good one when all of this chaos is over" Tifa brushed the boy's hair to the side. "I'm not sure, what do you suggest, Vincent?" Cloud looked back at his cloaked friend. "Do as you please" Vincent answered and continued onto the path. "Okay. Hang in there. We'll come back for you" Cloud assured him and continued with his friends. "Okay" he boy nodded.

"A man said, that his voice would be familiar to me. Almost like a forgotten memory. He said that that man was my brother, Cloud. Why is he taking so long, though? I feel like I'm getting weaker and sicker by the minute" the boy thought impatiently in his mind. "I want to see, to see if he's still there" he clutched his hands. He slowly opened one eye and saw the world. Blury at first, but soon got clearer as his vision focused. He opened the other eye the same way and blinked. "Where, is this place?" he turned his head around at the foggy world. "Can I move?" he tried to twitch his leg. He fell to the side and groaned in pain. "It hurts" he put his hands to the ground and slowly got up, little by little. "So cold" he held his arms. "Brother?" he whispered. "Brother" he started to walk inch by inch around the area. "Brother, where are you?" he clutched his arms even tighter. He missed a step and fell, hard, onto the next rocky surface. "Brother. Help. I'm lost and I don't know where you are. Please, help me" the boy got up. He tried to step again, but tripped on his cloak and landed on his face. "I'm tired" he moaned, "tired of all this pain" he got up again. He unzipped his cloak and through it to the ground. Revealing his short silver hair, cat eyes, leather pants with no top and pale face, he walked around calling. "How long has it been since he left? I feel like my legs are going to tear off of me" the boy climbed onto the next platform. "Maybe brother, forgot me. Or, he left me there on purpose" the boy looked to the side. Tears began to stream down from his glowing eyes to the end of his cheeks. "He left me here, when he said he was going to take me with him" he clutched his fists. "But, why would he do something like that?" his voice began to choke. "It's because he probably hates me!" he hit his hand on the rough wall. "My own brother hates me!" he began to pound at the wall, until he fell to his knees.

Cloud looked up at the cloudy sky, darkening their bright sky. "It's going to rain" he thought as he looked down at the children playing in the front yard. "Cloud" Tifa called from behind her with her graceful voice. He turned around and saw Tifa looking out the window at him. "Hi" he looked back at the sky as she climbed onto the roof with him. "What's wrong?" she sat next to him and smiled. "I don't want to talk about it" he shook his head. "Talking will make you feel better" she put her hand on his back. "You always have ways of getting me to talk" he made a tiny smile. "So, what is it?" she asked giving him her full attention. "I don't know, it's just that. I feel kind of incomplete or something is missing that I forgot to get earlier" he looked to the side with concerned eyes. "Earlier today?" she tilted her head to the side. "No, almost like, earlier in my life. After we defeated Sephiroth, I still felt unhappy, like it didn't satisfy my revenge and I left something important behind" he closed his eyes for a few minutes. "We all forget something important in our lives" she frowned a little. "Yeah, but this important thing, it was like it needed me and I forgot it when it was dying, almost like a child forgetting to take care of a small kitten" he opened his eyes to her. Tifa looked to the side with a concerned look on her face. "I forgot something too" she said sadly. "We better bring the kids inside" he got up and crouched into the window and helped Tifa last. "C'mon kids. It's gonna rain!" Tifa opened the front door. "Can we stay out a little longer?" a little boy asked. "I'm sorry, but you might catch a cold and get sick. Come inside now" she brought them inside. "I think I'm gonna take a walk" Cloud said as the last kid walked inside the house. "Take this and be back by night, okay?" Tifa handed him an umbrella. He nodded and walked out into the rain.

Cloud hiked over to Zack's grave. He stared at the sword as rain ran down it like tears. "Am I forgetting something Zack, and if so, what? I have this feeling, something bad is going to happen if I don't find it" Cloud fell to his knees and layed his head gently on the sword.

"Brother, why did you leave me? I need you, brother" the boy felt the rain drip onto his bare back. "Kadaj" a dark voice called out to him. He got up in alarment and turned around. A pair of glowing green eyes stared into his. "Please don't hurt me!" the boy fell to his knees and held his arms. "I'm not going to hurt you" the figure knelt down to him. "Here, you look cold" the figure wrapped a jacket around the boy's icy arms. "Who are you?" the boy looked up at him. "I'm your older brother, Yazoo" the figure answered. "Older brother?" the boy trembled. "Yes, you and I are brothers. We almost look the same too" Yazoo smiled down at him. "Why are you here?" the boy calmed down. "I was looking for you for a long time, Kadaj" Yazoo brushed the hair out of his brother's eyes. "Kadaj? Is that my name?" the boy looked up at him. "The name you were given by mother" Yazoo looked up at the cloudy sky. "Mother?" Kadaj thought to himself. "Here, this is yours" Yazoo handed his younger brother a long black shaped object. "What is it?" Kadaj asked as he felt the weight of the object. "It's a double bladed sword, Souba" Yazoo answered. Kadaj stared at the sheath of the sword, slowly opening it. "Will this, will this help us find brother?" he saw his reflection in the blade. "Of course, that is, if you want revenge on him" Yazoo smirked. "Revenge?" Kadaj looked up to Yazoo. "He left you here, didn't he?" Yazoo asked, feeling his brother's interest. Kadaj thought back and clutched the sword before nodding. "Then it will lead you to him. We'll both go find him" Yazoo stood up and helped his brother off the ground. "Yazoo?" Kadaj asked quietly. "Yes, brother?" Yazoo gently stroked his brother's wet hair. "Can we, see the world?" Kadaj asked in a shy tone. "Whatever you want, little brother" Yazoo held Kadaj up to his chest and kissed him on the forehead.


	2. White Tundra

"So cold" Kadaj thought as his foot sunk into the snow. "Are you alright, brother?" Yazoo looked back at Kadaj who was behind a few feet away. "It's too cold. I feel numb" Kadaj shut his eyes as snow blew into his face. "Hold on just a little longer, brother" Yazoo walked back and took Kadaj's freezing hand. "I'll try" Kadaj peeked his eyes open a bit. They had hiked a few miles away from the crater and out to the snowy fields. Kadaj felt his legs and arms go limp as the icy wind bit at his face and go through his clothes. "Brother" he said weakly as he fell, but Yazoo caught him. "How are you warm when it's so cold out here?" Kadaj looked up at his older brother. "It is a power of mine" Yazoo smiled down at him. Kadaj layed against his chest, feeling and enjoying his brother's warmth. Yazoo slowly knelt down to the ground and held Kadaj. "I wish I had this power" Kadaj closed his eyes. A growl not too far away made both of them alarmed. "What was that?" Kadaj sat up from Yazoo. "Bandersnatch" Yazoo got up and helped Kadaj. They both turned around and saw three snarling wolves.

"Kadaj, stay behind me" Yazoo took out his weapon. "I want to fight too" Kadaj took the handle of the Souba. "No, little brother. It's too dangerous" Yazoo backed up with Kadaj as the wolves closed in. Yazoo slowly took a bullet out of his pocket and loaded it into the gunblade. "Kadaj, get behind that rock" Yazoo signaled over to the rock. Kadaj ran over and knelt down, just in time to dodge a wolf's strike. Yazoo jumped high into the air and aimed the barrel at one of the wolves. "Die, beast!" he pulled the trigger. Kadaj watched as one of the wolves took the shot for the other. It whimpered a bit, but stood with pride even though it had been struck with pain. Yazoo landed and swung his gunblade at the wolf. It jumped back and jumped at him. Yazoo groaned at the pain after the wolf at bitten his arm and pinned him to the ground. "Yazoo!" Kadaj came from behind the rock and ran over to Yazoo. "No, Kadaj!" Yazoo called to him, but Kadaj kept running to his aid. A different wolf charged at Kadaj and jumped at his leg. "Kadaj!" Yazoo stretched his arm out to him, but was in no reach of his brother. Kadaj cried out at the pain in his leg. He fell backwards into the snow, feeling his blood run down his leg. The wolf pinned him to the ground and growled at him. "Go away!" Kadaj shook his head hesitantly. "Kadaj! Don't move!" Yazoo yelled to him. "But it hurts!" Kadaj felt tears of pain stream down his cheeks. "Trust me!" Yazoo assured him. Kadaj layed his head to the side and closed his eyes. The canine sniffed Kadaj's face and down to his neck. Kadaj gasped at the feel of the cold wet nose against his neck. "Just spirits" he could hear a voice say in his mind. "Spirits?" Kadaj thought.

Yazoo looked over to Kadaj, hoping he was still okay. The wolf pinning him growled, then automatically unpinned him. "Wha?" Yazoo slowly sat up. The other wolf opened its mouth and bit into Kadaj's shoulder. Kadaj tried hard not to let his cry out at the pain, but instead passed out at the cold air and pain to worsen it. The last thing he felt was the wolf's tongue lick at his shoulder and another at his leg. "Hurts so bad" Kadaj thought as his mind came to conciousness. He slowly opened his eyes to a flame infront of him. "Where am I?" Kadaj rubbed his head. He looked down to see himself covered in a blanket and sitting in a chair. Trying to get up, he sat back down immediately feeling the pain in his leg and shoulder. "You're awake" Yazoo's voice sighed with relief. "Brother?" Kadaj turned his head to the side to see Yazoo sitting against the wall. "You passed out. I carried you here as fast as I could" Yazoo smiled. "Where are we?" Kadaj yawned. "We're at a place called the Icicle Inn. They let us stay here due to our injuries" the older brother rubbed his arm. "You're injured!" Kadaj shot up, but shot back down into the chair. "Calm down, brother. You're in worse condition then I am" Yazoo gently set his hand on Kadaj's chest. "What happened after I passed out?" Kadaj stared into his brother's eyes. "The wolf that pinned you let out a howl and walked off with the other two, but before they left it set this on your chest" Yazoo removed his hand off of Kadaj and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small glowing aquamarine orb. "I'm guessing it's materia. It's yours" he handed it to his younger brother. "Materia?" Kadaj held it in his hands. "It's magic of the planet" Yazoo pulled a seat from a table behind Kadaj and sat down.

Kadaj looked at it one last time before carefully putting in his pocket. "Brother?" Kadaj whisperd gently. Yazoo over to him. "When you were fighting, I saw the wolf you were trying to shoot got blocked by another wolf" Kadaj looked into the flames. "Why would they do that?" he looked over to Yazoo. "Because, they are family, little brother. Like you and me, they protect each other" Yazoo looked at him and smiled. "What's a family?" Kadaj tilted his head to the side. "A family is a group of people who love and care for each other, no matter what" Yazoo moved the hair out of Kadaj's face. "Family" Kadaj thought. A tall beautiful woman with black hair and blue eyes walked over to them wearing a red long sleeved shirt and black skirt. "Are you two okay?" she asked in a kind voice. "Yes" Yazoo looked over to her. "My name's Hitomi and I work here. When I saw you two come in, I was worried seeing how both of you were injured" she smiled sweetly at them. "Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked. "I'm not sure" Kadaj shook his head. "Hmm, I know! How about I bring the two of you some hot cocoa?" she suggested. "Um, sure" Yazoo nodded. "I'll be back in a few minutes" she smiled and walked off. "What's hot cocoa, brother?" Kadaj turned to Yazoo. "I don't know myself" Yazoo shrugged. "When will we go back out again?" Kadaj looked under the blanket at his bandaged leg. "Our injuries should be healed by tomorrow" Yazoo looked down at his shoulder. "Here are two hot cocoas!" Hitomi came back with two cups. "Thank you" Yazoo nodded as she handed him one. "Thank you" Kadaj said quietly. "You're welcome. Call me if you need anything!" Hitomi walked off again.

"This is hot cocoa?" Kadaj stared into the cup filled with a brown liquid. "Yes" Yazoo nodded. Kadaj stared at it uneasily and looked over to Yazoo. "I guess I could try it" Yazoo sighed and brought the cup to his lips. Yazoo took a sip and looked over to Kadaj. "Is it good?" Kadaj asked. "Yes" Yazoo smiled. Kadaj looked back to his cup and took a sip as well. "This is okay" Kadaj looked into the cup. They both drank together infront of the fireplace until it was late in the night. "I'll carry you to our room" Yazoo set his empty cup down and picked Kadaj up. Kadaj looked around the inn as Yazoo carried him to their room. "This is soft" Kadaj felt his bed and layed onto the pillow. "It's like that for comfort" Yazoo set his gunblade and Kadaj's sword next to the head of his bed. "Comfort?" Kadaj sat up and took off his boots. "So you can sleep better" Yazoo looked over to him. "I like this" Kadaj thought. "But remember, brother. While we're traveling, we might not be able to sleep in beds like this, so enjoy it while it lasts" Yazoo got under the sheets. "Okay" Kadaj nodded and got under his sheets. Yazoo reached over to the lamp and turned off the light. Kadaj stared out the window, seeing some small yellow orbs glowing in the dark. He carefully got up and looked out the window. There stood an animal with four legs and long tail a few feet away from the inn. "A wolf" Kadaj thought to himself. It stared up at Kadaj's window and howled. Kadaj blinked and it looked back down to see the wolf gone.


	3. Desire to See the Ocean

"So you'll be leaving today?" Hitomi asked as she looked at the two silver haired boys. "Yes, we have to keep moving" Yazoo nodded. "Well, at least let me give you these supplies. They'll help you on your trip to wherever you're going" she handed them two backpacks. "I also packed you two some lunches for the road. Hopefully that'll last until you get to the next town" she smiled. "Thank you for your hospitality" Yazoo smiled. "Come back here sometime and visit, okay?" Hitomi waved to them as they walked into the snow. "Okay" Kadaj nodded. They walked off to the base of the mountain to a cave hole.

"What's in there?" Kadaj peeked inside. "I'm not sure, but be on your guard" Yazoo walked in with Kadaj close behind. Water dripped from the ceiling into a puddle, causing an echo in the cave. Kadaj felt the water drop onto his head and he looked up. "How does water get in here?" Kadaj thought to himself, but then remembered where he was going and caught up with Yazoo. They exited the cave to a cliff. "Looks like we'll have to climb" Yazoo looked down, the wind blowing in his hair. They got down on their knees and slowly started to climb down the cliff. As they climbed down the colored cliff, the rock Kadaj's hand was on, gave away. "Kadaj!" Yazoo reached down to catch Kadaj, but was unsuccessful. Kadaj fell and crashed onto the edge of some small platforms until he had landed at the bottom. "Are you okay, little brother?" Yazoo jumped down and ran over to him. Kadaj let out a small cry and looked up at Yazoo. "I'm tired" Kadaj whimpered. "It's okay, we can take a rest here" Yazoo lifted Kadaj into his arms. "No, Yazoo. I'm not fatigued. I'm just, tired of all this pain" Kadaj layed against Yazoo's chest. Yazoo looked down at Kadaj with worried eyes. "I want to be strong. I want to fight. I don't want to be weak anymore. I want to be as strong as you" Kadaj felt a few tears stream down his cheeks, but tried to wipe them away so Yazoo wouldn't see. "It's okay, Kadaj. It's alright to cry, it's normal for any strong person to cry" Yazoo smiled. "Will you teach me how to be strong?" Kadaj let more tears go down his face. "Yes, I will teach you how to be strong" Yazoo nodded and started to head back onto the trail.

They walked into what looked like to be a small broken village. "Where is this place?" Kadaj asked. "I'm not sure, but by the looks of it this village used to be under water" Yazoo looked around at the coral, starfish, and sea shells all over the ground. "Brother, I think I can walk" Kadaj looked up at him. Yazoo carefully set Kadaj down, but Kadaj leaned to the side and almost fell over if Yazoo wasn't there to catch him. "Thank you, brother" Kadaj nodded. "I'll help you walk around until you can stand on your own" Yazoo said. They slowly walked around the village until they got to a shell looking house. "We can rest here for a bit" Yazoo layed Kadaj down on one of the beds and sat next to him. "Yazoo, what are sea shells?" Kadaj asked. Yazoo turned to Kadaj, surprised that he asked a question about it. "I think they're shells that are in the sea. I heard from one of the people at the inn that where they come from, if you put a sea shell to your ear that you'll hear the ocean" Yazoo explained as much as he could. "The ocean?" Kadaj raised an eyebrow. "It's like a huge area of water" Yazoo said before Kadaj could ask the question. "Can I have a sea shell?" Kadaj sat up. "Sure, wait here" Yazoo got up and walked out the door. "The ocean. I like that name. I want to see the ocean" Kadaj thought. Yazoo came back in shortly with a light blue sea shell. "Try it out" Yazoo handed it to Kadaj. Kadaj held the opened part up to his ear and stayed silent for a while. "So you hear it?" Yazoo whispered. Kadaj nodded and handed it back to Yazoo. "You try" Kadaj whispered. Yazoo held it up to his ear and heard the sound as well. "So, the ocean sounds like that?" Kadaj asked. "I'm guessing" Yazoo gave the shell back to Kadaj and he carefully put it in his backpack. "I want to see the ocean" Kadaj said quietly. "So do I" Yazoo agreed.

"Brother, I want to leave now. I think I feel better" Kadaj tried to sound convincing. "Your back doesn't hurt anymore?" Yazoo looked over to him. "No, I feel better" Kadaj got up and stood by himself, but limped to the side and was caught by the wall. "You're anxious to see the ocean?" Yazoo smiled. "I want to see it badly" Kadaj whispered. It was silent in the room for a while, and Kadaj felt uncomfortable by it. "Okay, we'll see the ocean" Yazoo nodded. "Thank you, brother" Kadaj got up and slowly walked over to Yazoo, giving him a hug. "You're welcomed, brother" Yazoo hugged him back. Outside, the sound of a motor caused them to look out the window. "What's that sound?" Kadaj asked. "Lets go see" Yazoo got up and helped Kadaj down the stairs. The two peeked out the front door to see a motorcycle with somebody on it, drive by. The person had blonde spikey hair and was wearing dark clothes. "Who was that?" Kadaj thought. "Should we follow them?" Kadaj asked. "No, they'd be a waste of our time" Yazoo shook his head. "Besides, you said you wanted to see the ocean, right?" Yazoo asked. Kadaj nodded. "Then lets go" Yazoo gently took Kadaj's hand. They both walked out of the house and down the path, but as Kadaj walked he looked back at where the spikey haired man had gone. "Why do I get the feeling I know him?" Kadaj thought, but looked back forward.

Walking through the log and quickly through the Sleeping Forest, the boys ended up at an excavation site. "Woah, where did the two of you come from?" one of the excavation crew asked. "We just came from the village past the forest" Yazoo answered. "Really now? It's amazing the two of you didn't get confused in the Sleeping Forest. Legend says that anybody who went in there without the Lunar Harp, would never come out again" she explained. "What's a Lunar Harp?" Yazoo asked. "The Lunar Harp is an instrument that plays beautiful music that wakes up the Sleeping Forest. We've excavated several of these in this area" she points to the holes in the ground. "What're you people doing?" Kadaj asked. "We're digging for buried items to export to certain places. Right now, there's a boat coming here to pick up some things to export to Wutai" she answers. "Wutai?" Yazoo thought. "If you need anything, you can talk to the boss near the tent" she points down at the ladder. They thanked her and walked over to the ladder and down. There they saw a man sitting in a chair near the remains of a dead monster. "Are you the boss?" Yazoo asked. "Yes I am. What can I do for you?" the man looked up from his map to Yazoo. "Do you know where the ocean is?" Kadaj asked. The man looked up at him, surprised at what he had just asked. "The ocean? It's right over there" he pointed south of where they were. "But unfortunately, if want to see it, you'll have to wait till tomorrow. We've just excavated a gold mine of elixers and materia. We're shipping them to Wutai today and we're going to be to busy too let anybody go out to the water. You might get confused for one of the crew or a ship could back up on you. We're really sorry about it" the man explained.

"I can't wait" Kadaj thought and looked up at Yazoo with a sad expression. "One of the rules to being strong brother, is to never give your hopes up" Yazoo smiled at him. Kadaj shook the look off his face and tried to show his confidence. "Can't we go on the boat to Wutai?" Yazoo asked. "I'm afraid not. That's cargo ship and if they find you on board they'll probably make you swim back over here" the man shook his head. Kadaj looked to the side, trying to keep Yazoo from seeing his hopeless expression. "Hey" the man said. "You two have never been to the ocean, have you?" the man asked. The both shook their heads. "I probably shouldn't do this, but I can sneak the both of you onto the ship and you can see the ocean at Wutai" he smiles. "Why would you do that?" Kadaj asked. "To tell you the truth, I never saw the ocean when I was a kid and I'm willing to help anybody who hasn't" he answered. "Thank you" the two said at the same time. "You see those crates over there?" he pointed to two empty crates. "One of you can fit in each one. I'll push the both of you on board and you should be okay from there as long as you don't get caught" he explains.

"Good morning" a man in a red uniform waved to the boss as he pushed the two carts past him. "How are you doing?" he waved back and drove the crates onto the ship. Inside one of the crates, Kadaj felt uncomfortable. "It's too small in here. I feel there is no air" he shut his eyes and held his legs close to his chest. In the other crate, Yazoo felt Kadaj's nervousness. The boss set the crates in the middle section of the ship near a window. "This is your stop. You two should be okay as long as you stay either in or behind the crates" the man whispered to them. "Thank you" Kadaj whispered back. The boat's bell rung a few times before the boat started to move. Kadaj and Yazoo quickly got out of the crates and hid behind them. "So, we're going to Wutai?" Kadaj asked. "Yes, Kadaj. And we'll be able to see the ocean" Yazoo smiled.


	4. Readings of Fate

Yazoo looked down at his sleeping brother laying on his lap. Kadaj's hair fell into his face, with an expression of a lost angel. Yazoo looked back out the night filled window. Stars dotted the black sky and the moon ruled over the heavens. He looked back down at Kadaj. The moonlight revealed Kadaj's pale face and glistened his silver hair. Yazoo gently placed a hand on Kadaj's head, careful not to awaken him or disturb him. "Brother. He's dreaming, I can tell" Yazoo thought to himself.

Kadaj peeked open his eyes. "Brother?" he whispered as he looked up at Yazoo. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to awaken you" Yazoo quickly removed his hand off of Kadaj's head. "I had a dream, brother" Kadaj sat up. "What type of dream was it?" Yazoo asked. "It almost felt real. I was in the sky, flying through the clouds with feathered wings coming out of my back. You were there too, flying by my side, holding my hand so that if I ever lost my wings, you'd be there to help me" Kadaj answered. "Sounds nice" Yazoo tilted his head to the side and smiled. "It was, brother. I wish I could fly" Kadaj layed his head back down on Yazoo's lap.

"Maybe someday you will, brother. And I'll be there to make sure you don't fall" Yazoo whispered as he stroked Kadaj's hair. "Yes" Kadaj nodded. Kadaj reached into his pocket and took out the aquamarine orb. He held it to the moon's light and watched as the orb let off a glow. "Brother, look" Kadaj pointed at the orb. "What is it?" Yazoo asked as he looked to the orb. "I see something in the orb" Kadaj held the orb to Yazoo's eye level. Yazoo squinted his eyes to get a closer view until he finally saw what it was and smiled.

While the moon shone down in through the window and onto the materia, a summon slept inside. It was a gray looking animal, curled up in a sleeping postion. Sleeping, breathing, waiting to be awakened. "It looks like a wolf" Yazoo looked down at Kadaj. Kadaj slowly brought it back down in front of him and stared at it in amazement. "Why is a wolf inside of it?" Kadaj looked up to Yazoo. "It must be a summon. You can call upon its power if you ever need help in a battle" Yazoo answered. Kadaj thought happily in his mind of what it would be like to fight alongside the wolf in battle. "I want to fight" Kadaj clutched his other fist. Yazoo set one of his hands on Kadaj's clutching fist and smiled down at him. "Rest, first. Fighting, later" Yazoo stroked Kadaj's hair again. "Okay" Kadaj agreed as he put the orb carefully back into his pocket. They both closed their eyes and fell asleep. Kadaj dreamed of fighting alongside Yazoo with his Souba and using the summon. A few hours til dawn, Kadaj awoke with the feeling of fur being gently brushed against his cheek. He peeked open his eyes to see a blury figure in front of him. All he could make out before falling asleep was its glowing eyes staring into his. He felt it lick him, then the feeling went away.

The boat's bell rung and the crew was talking happily once the boat had docked at Wutai. Kadaj twitched at some of the loud sounds, but awakened to see some sailors running around. "Brother?" Kadaj turned to Yazoo. Yazoo cracked his eye open a bit and looked to Kadaj. "What's going on?" Kadaj asked. "We must've reached Wutai" Yazoo rubbed his eyes. "We should go see" Kadaj nodded. "Hold on, brother. We must get in the crates first before we go rushing anywhere" Yazoo reminded him. "Okay" Kadaj looked to the side, a piece of his excitement gone. "The next rule of being strong brother, is to have patience" Yazoo smiled. Kadaj nodded. As they both go into their crates, some men came along and pushed them away.

"Where should we put these?" a man asked. "You can set those in that shed over there. Say, are you going to stay for the Summon Festival tonight?" another man asked. "Since, my wife and kids have been visiting my mom here, of course I'll come!" the other man from before answered. "I heard this is going to be the best festival yet!" the another man said with excitement. Kadaj lifted the lid off his box after being moved to another location. The place was a little lighter than the crate as he looked around. "Brother" Kadaj called over to the crate next to him. Yazoo flipped his lid over and looked over to Kadaj. "What's a festival?" Kadaj asked. "I'm not sure, but maybe we can ask" Yazoo stepped out of the box and helped Kadaj out. Yazoo slowly pushed the door open to the light.

A bright path unfolded in front of them as they saw merchant shops and colorful buildings. Children were playing games as the adults talked with each other happily, laughing and sharing their life's wellness. "This place," Kadaj thought as they both stepped out of the shed. "So bright, it fills me with calmness" he closed his eyes, feeling the breeze blow through his silver hair. "Do you like this place, brother?" Yazoo smiled. Kadaj opened his eyes, looking over to Yazoo, he nodded. "Come one, come all! Come to see what fate has in store for you!" a woman yelled happily from a small booth. "Lets go see what she's talking about" Yazoo took Kadaj's hand. The two of them walked over to the young teenage looking woman with black hair and dark eyes. "Hi there. Would the both of you like your fortunes told?" she smiled. "Fortunes?" Kadaj tilted his head to the side. "They're readings that can decide your fate" she explained. "Yes, please" Yazoo nodded. "Okay! Let's begin!" she got up from her chair and smiled. "I need the both of your palms, please!" she asked. The boys both showed her their palms. She examined them carefully and asked if she could see their eyes. Kadaj felt a little uncomfortable with her staring straight into his eyes, but got over the nervousness.

"Wow! I've never gotten something like this!" she gasped. "What?" Kadaj asked. "Young man with the long hair, you have a gently air about you. Your calmness hides your anxiousness that lies deep within you. Your fate is bright enough to light your way to happiness. Your dreams will be endless! And you" she turned to Kadaj. "In your eyes, I see the soul of one long lost. An anxious boy, trapped within a lost body. You're the one to be guided by the wolf god, Fenrir. He shall watch over you as you walk along your brother's side" she explained. "Fenrir?" Yazoo said, confused by the name. "He's the wolf god. He was said to be an extraordinary summon, but was never found because the hearts of many who seeked him had impureness within them and he cast his soul away into the depths of the planet, never to be seen again" she shook her head. "Fenrir" Kadaj thought deeply to himself. "Since you two are my one hundreth customer's today, you don't have to pay!" she smiled. "Thank you" Yazoo thanked her. "Come back if you need another reading!" she waved to them as they left.

"Oh! I don't know what to get!" "You should get the blue one. Afterall, it matches your eyes" a little boy and girl look at some beautifully colored kimonos at an outdoor clothes shop. "What are these?" Kadaj walked over to the shop. He went over to a rack with a light blue colored kimono on the rack. "Those are called kimonos" a woman with raven black hair came from behind the rack. "A kimono?" Yazoo raised an eyebrow. "It's a traditional Wutai dress made for women, though we do have some male outfits here. They're selling off the racks due to the festival tonight" she smiled. "Why is everybody going to the festival?" Kadaj asked. "Oh, my. You two must be tourists. Well, tonight the Summon Festivals. It's a party that celebrates what our summons have done for us. Almost everybody in Wutai is going" she explained. "A party" Kadaj thought. "You two seem lost. Why not come to the festival tonight?" she asked. "It depends. Do you want to, Kadaj?" Yazoo turned to his little brother. Kadaj nodded. "Okay, we'll go" Yazoo turned to the woman and nodded.

She at them and smiled, tears almost coming to her eyes. "What's wrong?" Kadaj asked. "Oh, it's nothing, it's just that, when I look at the both of you" she wiped a tear from her eye. "I had two sons who looked similar to the both of you. They were smart and kind, almost any type of mother would love. They had many friends and became the best students in their swordsman classes. But, during the dreadful years of the war, some of the Shinra came over to Wutai. They tried to defend me so I could escape. I begged them to come with me, but they said they'd fight to protect me. A few days later, I saw them dead under the tree of my backyard. For days, I spent my hours crying over their deaths and, oh I'm sorry" she tried to stop the tears from coming. "Everytime I talk about them, I start my grieving again. I'm sorry, though. I shouldn't have opened up to you like that" she tried to smile. "It's okay, we understand" Yazoo smiled. "Forgive me, though. To thank you for understanding, why don't the two of you stay at my house for the night" she suggested. "Thank you" Kadaj smiled.

"You both said that you were going to the festival tonight, right?" she asked as she showed them to their rooms. "Yes" Yazoo answered. "I can help the two of you get ready if you'd like me to" she smiled. "That'd be nice" Kadaj nodded. "A festival is a party. Maybe this will be exciting" Kadaj thought.


	5. Summon Festival

"Here are some outfits you two can wear to the festival tonight" the saleswoman pulled two outfits out of her dusty trunk. "They used to be my sons, but I've kept them to remind me of them. You should be able to fit in them" she handed them the outfits. "Thank you, miss..." Yazoo started. "Oh, sorry. My name's Katara" she blushed at her mistake. "I didn't catch your names either" she smiled. "My name is Yazoo and this is my little brother, Kadaj" Yazoo introduced the both of them. "Hello" Kadaj nodded nervously.

"Well, the festival doesn't start till later on tonight. How about the two of you go out for a while" she suggested. "Okay, we can wait" Yazoo nodded. "Maybe the both of you could go out and buy some items as a rememberance of your time here" she said as they handed her the outfits. "We don't have any money" Kadaj shook his head. "That's okay, I've been making alot of money in the past few days, I'll give you some" she reached into her pocket and pulled out serveral coins. "Here some Gil. Spend it on whatever you like" she handed them the coins. "Thank you" they thanked her. "You two should be back by sunset so we can get ready, okay?" she asked. "Okay" Yazoo agreed before they parted from the house.

"She's doing so much for us" Kadaj thought. "We should repay her in some way" Yazoo said as if he read Kadaj's thoughts. Kadaj, surprised, looked up at Yazoo. "She's been helping us out so much, we should get her something in return" Yazoo walked down the merchant shop path. "But, what?" Kadaj asked. "Something special" Yazoo answered. Kadaj thought hard as they went to different shops on the path. "What should we buy?" Kadaj asked. "I don't know. Maybe we can buy something for our outfits so they'll look nicer" Yazoo answered. Kadaj looked around the accessory shop. "Do you two boys need any help looking for something?" a man with dark eyes and shot black hair walked over to them. "We don't know what to buy" Yazoo turned to him. "Well, we're having a sale today since it's the Summon Festival. May I suggest a few things?" the man asked. "Please" Kadaj turned around. "How about this bracelet?" the man took a blue bracelet off the shelf. "It has all the names of the summons on each bead. It's only ten Gil" he showed them a blue bracelet. "What do you think, brother?" Yazoo asked. Kadaj thought for a while before shaking his head. "Then how about these necklaces? At the end of each one, there's a small materia looking orb that changes color to your feelings" he suggested some necklaces. Kadaj shook his head again until something caught his eyes.

A necklace with a curvy white shape at the end of it. "What's this?" Kadaj walked over to it. "Oh, that's a fang of a bandersnatch. It's really rare to get one of these since bandersnatches don't roam around here. The one who brought it here said he took it off of the leader of the pack and brought it here for others to see" the man turned to him and smiled. "How much is it worth?" Kadaj asked as he lifted the necklace off the rack. "Since this was found over a hundred years ago and hasn't decayed, I'd say about 2,000 Gil" the man answered. Yazoo and Kadaj looked in their pockets only to see that they only had 30 and combined was still not enough. Kadaj looked down, his hopelessness returning. "That's okay. We'll pass" Yazoo walked over to Kadaj. "I'm sorry. How about I give you these necklaces for free" the salesman handed them two necklaces with a star at the end of them. "Thank you" Yazoo said as he was handed the necklace and walked out with Kadaj.

"You really wanted that necklace, didn't you brother?" Yazoo looked down at Kadaj. "Yes" Kadaj said quietly. "It's okay, brother. I'll get you one someday" Yazoo said as he handed Kadaj one of the star necklaces. "Thank you, brother" Kadaj said as he put the necklace around his neck. "Lets stop for a while and rest" Yazoo said as he saw a nearby bench. As they rested, Kadaj thought about the necklace. Yazoo looked down at Kadaj, worried about him. He put his hand gently on Kadaj's head and pulled him slowly to his chest. "Brother" Kadaj looked up at Yazoo. "The next rule about being strong is enjoy what you have" Yazoo whispered to him. Kadaj looked down at the star necklace and played with it a little. "I guess" he closed his eyes. He felt something soft move up and at his ankle. Kadaj opened his eyes and looked down. A small white animal moved up and down at his ankle. "What's this?" Kadaj picked it up. "Meow" the animal looked into his eyes. "It's so small" Kadaj thought. "What is this, brother?" Kadaj set the animal on Yazoo's lap. It began to purr against Yazoo's chest. "I think's it's a kitten" Yazoo carefully picked it up. Kadaj stared into it's eyes and then to Yazoo's. "It's eyes, they're just like ours" Kadaj thought.

As they examined the kitten, something caught Kadaj's eyes. A teenage looking boy near the clothes shop stopped walking and looked at him. His eyes had a small gold glow, his shoulder length hair was a whitish blue while he wore a dark blue outfit. They stared at each other for a while before the boy smirked and walked into the clothes shop. "Something wrong, Kadaj?" Yazoo woke Kadaj out of his trance. Kadaj shook his head before turning to Yazoo. "No" Kadaj answered. "Let's give this to Katara as a gift" Yazoo handed him the kitten. "Okay" Kadaj nodded as he held the feline up to his chest. "It's getting late to sunset, let's head back" Yazoo got up and looked down at Kadaj. "Right" Kadaj agreed.

"Miss Katara, we brought you this as a thank you present" Kadaj held the kitten in front of her. "Oh, my! It's so cute!" she smiled as she was handed the cat. "I've never had anybody give me a gift before. Thank you, boys" she blushed a little. "Your welcome" Yazoo smiled. She put the cat down and helped them get ready. "My! The two of you look handsome" she commented them on their outfits. Kadaj wore a blue one while Yazoo wore a green outfit. "Are they supposed to be this big?" Kadaj asked as he lifted his arm which lifted the wide sleeve. "Yes" she answered. "Shall we get going?" she asked. The other two nodded. She lead them to the town square of Wutai. There were bright lights, game stands, cafe stalls, calm music playing, a midnight fair. Kadaj was amazed at how people could act at the festival. Dancing, cheering, almost as if it were the best day of their lives. "Before you go to any games, lets go watch the parade" Katara suggested. "Alright. Are you coming brother?" Yazoo asked Kadaj as he was staring at all the lights. "R...right" Kadaj answered as he let Yazoo gently take him away.

"Welcome all people of Wutai!" a man in a royal looking outfit said as the three walked into the crowd near the stage. "I welcome you all, to the Summon Festival! The festival to thank our summons for what they have done! Protecting us, giving their aid when we needed it most. And now, with the utmost graditude, I present to you, the Parade of Summons!" the man lifted his arms as people bursted from under the stage. A woman dressed in silk blue wearing her hair in a long pony tail, gracefully danced across the pathway throwing blue glitter as she danced. Another was muscular man wearing horns and blowing fire from his mouth. Children cheered as he blew a fireball into the air an it exploded into fireworks. A big yellow bird walked by with a child dressed up in a small moogle suit. "Hiya! Thanks for coming!" he waved to the crowd. The next to come, was man with a long beard and mustache. He walked by royaly holding a staff with an orb at the top. Behind him was a man riding on a horse, holding his lancer in a jousting position. The horse stopped and got on its two back legs, letting out a powerful battle cry before walking off again. "All of these summons" Kadaj thought as a sea dragon and a giant bull walked by. "They seem so powerful" Kadaj continued as a man wearing a skull and cape walked by along with a man wearing some colorful bird wings.

"And now, for the grand finale!" the host raised his arms. "I bring you, the forgotten spirit, Fenrir!" he smiled as a man jumped high over him and landed on his feet. He wore a wolf's skin with wolf boots to match. He smirked and stood straight up. "That boy" Kadaj thought as the boy looked at him. His yellow eyes looked deep into Kadaj's surprised cat eyes. The boy got down on his hands and began to howl. "Oh my, this is a very good Fenrir impersonater" Katara chuckled. Kadaj reached into his pocket and looked down at the materia. It glowed a bright aquamarine as he looked between it and the boy who was now pretending to be a wolf. "Why is it doing this?" Kadaj thought hard. "Just spirits, as am I" a voice rang in his head. Kadaj gasped and put the materia back in his pocket as he took a step back. The boy kept meeting his eyes and smirking at him, making Kadaj feel nervous. Everytime their eyes met, Kadaj would take a step back until he backed up into Yazoo. "What's wrong, Kadaj?" Yazoo looked down at him. "N...nothing, brother" Kadaj shook his head. The boy finally turned to Kadaj and howled to him. Kadaj took a few steps forward and watched the boy closely as the he finished his performance.

"That was a very nice time" Katara smiled as they sat on top of the wall statue at the back of the village. "It was enjoyable" Yazoo nodded, taking a bite out of his rice cake. "How about you Kadaj?" Katara looked over to him. "It was nice" Kadaj said gently. "They should be starting the fireworks any minute now" Katara looked up to the night sky. "Fireworks?" Yazoo tilted his head. "They're small bombs that shoot up in the air and explode into different designs when they reach the skies. They're very beautiful" she explained. Kadaj sat back against the rock and thought about the boy with yellow eyes. "Just spirits" Kadaj whispered. He looked to the side before something bright caught his eyes. He looked up and saw bright lights in the sky. "Fireworks?" Kadaj asked. "Yes" she answered. The shapes varied by the second. Spirals, explosions, some were even shaped like the summons. "A night to remember" Kadaj thought.

"Coming back with us, Kadaj?" Katara asked. "Yes" Kadaj's gaze at the sky was broken. After watching the fireworks, they headed back to Katara's home. "Thank you boys, really. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. It's really been a special night" Katara smiled before going into her room. The other two went into their room and changed into the pajamas Katara had let them use. "Brother, I'm going to take a walk" Kadaj said as he walked to the door. "Okay, brother. Good night" Yazoo said. Kadaj walked to the back of the house and opened the back door. There was a gorgeous view of the ocean. "Is this, the ocean?" Kadaj took a few steps forward. He sat down on the patio and looked up at the sky. "Who was that boy?" he thought to himself.

A small jingle of a bell broke his thinking. "Just a spirit" the voice rang again. The boy from before landed a few feet away from him and turned to him. "Who are you?" Kadaj got up alarmed. The boy walked over to him and took something out of his pocket. "Here, you wanted this" the boy handed him the necklace with the fang at the end. "Yes, thank you" Kadaj nodded a little. "A lost spirit, like a lost child. You're lost, Kadaj?" the boy asked. "How'd you know my name?" Kadaj asked. "Kadaj, don't ever give into the voice at the back of your head. Listen to the spirit that was given to you" the boy whispered to him. "Who are you?" Kadaj closed his eyes. "I'll watch over you" the boy said before Kadaj opened his eyes to nothing. He looked down at the necklace before putting it around his neck.

At the pagoda, a celebration was going on. "To another fantastic festival!" Godo raised his drink. "To another festival" the other festival crew cheered. "Sir, we've got some strange news!" a man opened the door, alarmed at what he found out. "What's wrong?" Godo asked. "The fang necklace that was on display at the accessory shop is gone! Also, the boy who was playing Fenrir at the parade wasn't the one we hired!" the man answered. "Tell the guards to search every household for that necklace and as for the Fenrir case," Godo stopped. "I'm not sure" he finished, thinking deep into the situtation.


	6. Sacrifice

Kadaj looked up at the sky before turning back around and walking into the house. He walked back into his room quietly and slept in his bed, sleeping innocently. In the morning, a bell jingled next to Kadaj's hear. He peeked his eyes open to see the kitten purring against his face. It looked into his eyes and licked his face. "Nice kitten" Kadaj pet it from the head down to its tail, where it curled around his hand. It meowed and walked out of the room where Katara was lightly chuckling. "I'm sorry, did she wake the two of you?" she asked. "No, not at all" Kadaj shook his head. "If you want, we can go out for breakfast" she suggested. "Okay" Kadaj nodded. "Let me know when the two of you are ready" she smiled and picked up the kitten as she left.

Kadaj looked over to Yazoo. He was still sleeping, but Kadaj felt that he was watching him somehow, almost through his feelings. Kadaj moved carefully over to him and layed his head on Yazoo's. "Brother" Kadaj thought. He felt compelled to Yazoo, he didn't want to leave with Katara without him. Yazoo slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Kadaj. "Kadaj?" Yazoo lifted his arm and stroked Kadaj's hair. "Yazoo" Kadaj shot up. "It's okay, brother. You haven't disturbed me" Yazoo sat up and turned to him. "Miss Katara is going to take us out. I didn't want to leave without you" Kadaj said worriedly. "Don't worry, Kadaj. I will always go with you, to protect you" Yazoo set a hand on Kadaj's cheek and smiled. The two changed out of their pajamas and met Katara at the door. "Ready?" she asked. They nodded. "Here's a picture of my sons, if you wanted to see them" she handed them a photo. One of the boys had long black hair and dark eyes wearing a traditonal samurai suit. The other had black hair as well, only shorter, but he wore the same samurai outfit. "They do almost look like us" Kadaj thought as he handed it to Yazoo.

"Did you hear?" a group of woman gathered around another. "Hear what?" another asked. "I heard the fang necklace on display at the accessory shop was stolen!" the woman answered. "Anyone who finds the necklace and the robber gets over thirty million Gil!" another walked into the crowd. "That necklace must be worth something after all!" the woman from before smiled. The three near them walked into a nearby cafe and Kadaj happened to hear. He frowned a small bit, hiding the necklace in his leather shirt. "We'll have the rice, please" Katara ordered for them. "Coming right up!" the waitress said cheerfully and headed off toward the kitchen. "Did you hear about the fang necklace?" a man across from them asked another. "Sure did, heard it was worth a fortune if brought back" the other man nodded. Kadaj turned to Yazoo, a concerned look upon his face. "What's wrong Kadaj?" Katara asked. "This necklace" Kadaj revealed to them the fang necklace. "How'd you get that? It's too expensive for anybody to get, unless you..." she gasped at what she had came to. "No, no. I didn't steal it. I didn't do anything. I recieved it from the boy who was playing Fenrir at the festival" Kadaj shook his head. "Why did he give it to you?" Yazoo asked. "I don't know. He must have found out I wanted it" Kadaj whispered. Katara thought for a while before turning back to Kadaj.

He looked down, trying to hide his shame. "I'm sorry" he whispered. "It's okay, Kadaj. I've heard that mysterious people can give anybody something they need to guide their way. It must've been fate" she smiled. "Thank you" Kadaj looked up at her. "We better leave, though. If anybody finds out you have that, you could be killed" she said quietly. Just as she had finished, three sword wielding men walked in, looking around suspicously. "We're looking for the person who has stolen the rare wolf's fang" the one in the middle spoke as the one next to him unscrolled an old sheet of paper. "It is told to be the legendary fang of a white wolf who roamed the tundra like a god! The hunter approached the wolf and started a fierce battle, but was bitten by the wolf that escaped, leaving it's fang wedged in his flesh and blood. He took it out and brought it to the accessory shop for others to see the courage it took to get this fang" he finished. "We have had word that two suspicous persons came here yesterday on a cargo ship and entered this shop. We expect the two of you to turn yourself in!" the other one said. Kadaj clutched his fists, feeling nervousness rise up within him as he slowly reached for his Souba. "No, brother" Yazoo whispered, putting his hand on the Souba's handle.

Kadaj losened his grip, but was still nervous. "We'd like each and every one of you to line up in an organized line so that we may check you. If nobody has it, then we will leave peacefully" they started to walk over. The innocent people began to line up nervously. "Looks like we're in a bind. We'll just do what he says until it's over. Kadaj, keep that necklace in your shirt" Katara got up. Kadaj nodded and hid it back in his shirt. "If anybody tries to escape, we will hold you down and turn you in for resisting the authority" one of them stood in front of the line. Kadaj got nervous by the second, seeing the men draw closer and closer to him. "Calm, brother. I am here" Yazoo looked back at him. After the men checked Katara and Yazoo, Kadaj felt ill in his stomach. "I'm guessing you're related to the man in front of you?" one of the men asked. Kadaj nodded. "Please put your arms out to the side and your legs apart" one of the men demanded. Kadaj did what he was told. "Hey, what's this?" one of the men pulled out the orb in his pocket. "That's mine" Kadaj looked to the men who was holding it. "This guy's got materia on him. Haven't seen this type of materia before" the man holding it turned to his companions. "It's probably some healing materia or something. Put it back" one of them laughed. Kadaj felt fury building up in him, knowing they didn't have any idea what the materia could do.

"Hey! Look at this!" one of the men pulled out the necklace after feeling his chest. "So you're the thief!" the leader took out his sword. Kadaj grabbed it and jumped to the side. He felt his mind completely shut down, his fright rising fast. "We're ordered to turn you, your brother, and this woman in for knowing and keeping it a secret!" another took out his sword. "No, you don't understand!" Kadaj shook his head, but they didn't want to hear it. One striked at him, but he barely dodged the blade. Shooting filled the room as Yazoo shot the ceiling. "Take Katara and run, Kadaj!" Yazoo pointed to the door. Kadaj knew he shouldn't ask about Yazoo's safety, so he gently took Katara's hand and lead her to the door. "Don't let them escape!" a man yelled as Kadaj went out the back door. "We should go to the shrine, we'll be safe there!" Katara said as she ran alongside Kadaj. "Show me where to go!" Kadaj said as he turned a corner and went out a door. "Over there, near the pagoda!" she pointed to the tall building. "There they go!" a man yelled along with shooting sounds coming from behind him. Yazoo ran out and started to shoot at the samurai. "Keep going!" he yelled to Kadaj. Kadaj nodded and headed toward the shrine. Several other police joined in the chase as they got closer to the tower, but Katara tripped and hit the ground. "My leg" she sat up and looked down at her bleeding leg. Kadaj turned back and picked her up before running forward again. "You should have left me" Katara looked up at her. "After all that you've done, I wouldn't do such a thing" Kadaj looked down at her.

Yazoo shot down several police to reach them. Kadaj set Katara down in the shrine and waited for Yazoo. Yazoo raced into the shrine, took Kadaj in his arms and shut the door. "This place won't hold us for long" Katara looked to the side. "She's right, they'll probably surround the area" Yazoo let go of Kadaj. "This is all my fault" Kadaj whispered. "I should have never wanted this necklace" he looked to the side. "Kadaj, it was never your fault" Yazoo set his hand on his shoulder. "Yes it is" Kadaj shook his head. "Well, it's too late to claim who's fault it is. They're going to put the blame on someone over a fang" Katara began to stand up. "What are you going to do?" Yazoo asked. "Somebody has to put in end to all of this fighting" she walked to the door. "Don't" Kadaj said gently. "Please don't!" Kadaj screamed as he gently took hold of her arms. "You're the only one who has given us loving care, why do you want to die?" Kadaj shook his head. She smiled, tears streaming down her pink cheeks. "That's just what my son said when I said I would protect them so they could escape, but they wanted to protect me instead. My little Shuichi said those words" she held him to her chest. Kadaj felt sadness and despair filling up within him. "Miss Katara" Yazoo began. "You two have showed me so much fun and enjoyment that I haven't felt in seven years. I'll never forget all of that" she looked up at Yazoo and let Kadaj go.

She opened the door and faced the seven samurai. Yazoo gently grabbed Kadaj and lead him out of the way. Kadaj shut his eyes, hoping nothing would happen. "Thank you boys" she said gently. She walked down the stairs and over to the guards. Kadaj could hear the unsheathing of swords and blades striking each other before something fell to the ground. He cried out, falling to his knees. All of the memories he had if it wasn't for her, felt wasted inside of him. He clutched his hands and banged on the ground. His chest felt like it was going to rip apart, his eyes burned as tears ran down his cheeks. "There they are!" one of the police pointed his sword at him. Kadaj opened his eyes and looked over to see the samurais heading for him. He got up and unsheathed the Souba, angrily growling at them. He charged at them, his rage powering his sword. He dodged their strikes and delievered several strikes of his own. Easily, he cut them, splashing their blood across the ground.

He struck the leader to the ground and pointed his sword at him. "Why did you do that?" Kadaj trembled, his eyes filled with rage, his pupil thinner than usual. "We just follow the orders! We don't do this at will!" the leader yelled, trying to escape his boots. "If you do this at will, then why don't you choose not to kill!" Kadaj put the sword even closer to his neck. "We have to follow our boss or else we'll be killed! Please don't kill me!" the leader screamed. "One who kills another must be killed himself" Kadaj lifted his sword to the side before swinging it over. Yazoo walked down the stairs over to his brother as Kadaj turned to him. His eyes cold, his clothes stained with blood, the grip on his sword tight, his anger showing on his face. "Kadaj, it's okay now" Yazoo put his hand on his shoulder. Kadaj dropped his sword and shot into Yazoo's arms. Yazoo felt Kadaj shaking, he could hear him crying, felt his sorrow from when he first found Kadaj. "He doesn't deserve to suffer" Yazoo whispered. He looked over to Katara's body. She looked like an angel who lost her wings. "Come, brother. We shall make a burial for miss Katara" Yazoo looked down at him. Kadaj let go of him, still crying as he turned to her corpse. He walked over to her and picked her up.

They walked through the town, not caring that most of the villagers were staring at them. Kadaj walked with his head held high, tears running down his cheeks and falling onto Katara's as his bloodstained hands caried her. The fortune teller walked over to Yazoo and looked up at her worriedly. "She was trying to protect us" he whispered. "I'll help you with the burial" she looked down and continued to walk with them. They found a spot on a small cliff near the sea next to a tree. "Will she be okay?" Kadaj asked as he set her down. "Yes. Her soul will return to the Lifestream where she can live in peace" the fortune teller said as she began to dig a grave under the tree. "The Lifestream?" Yazoo started to help her dig. "Yes, it's where all humans go when they die. They flow along with the current to different places in the world. To her, she can finally be reunited with her sons" she answered. "I hope they're happy" Kadaj thought to himself. They finished burying her and placed some flowers and seeds over her grave. "The seeds will grow into all sorts of flowers when those wither away" she smiled a little. "You know, it's kind of a good spot to let her rest. Under a sakura tree near the ocean where she watches the world go by" she wiped a tear from her eye.

"We should pay our respects" she got down on her knees and began to pray. Kadaj and Yazoo did the same, hoping their prayers would help her along the way through the Lifestream. After the funeral, the three of them returned to her home near the store. The kitten walked from around the corner and looked up at them sadly. Kadaj picked it up and held it to his chest. It layed against him and closed its eyes. "For her sake, I'll take care of the store and the kitten. My mom and her were friends before my mom died" the fortune teller turned to Yazoo. "Thank you" Yazoo nodded. "So, the two of you will be leaving?" she asked. "We can't stay here any longer" Kadaj turned to her. "I see, well there's a boat that docked here this morning. It's going to a place called Costa del Sol. It'd be best if you took that one out of here" she turned to him. "Okay" Kadaj handed her that cat. "Hey, have you two ever met a girl named Sakura along your travels?" she asked as they walked out the door. "No, only a girl named Hitomi" Yazoo answered. "Hitomi? That's a friend of mine. Where is she?" she asked. "On the northern continent, working at an inn" Kadaj answered as they walked towards the docks. "I've got to visit her some time" she said quietly.

They stopped at an enourmous white ship at the docks. "This is our stop. Since this is a cruise ship, you won't be suspected by anyone" she pointed to the top deck. "Thank you for your help. We should be okay from here on" Yazoo nodded. "Here, you two can have these" she handed them two bracelets. "I know they're not much, but I wanted to give these to people who have endured a great suffering" she blushed. The bracelets were blue with a teardrop hanging from them. "They're usually worn on the upper arm. I crafted them myself" she smiled. "They're nice" Kadaj rolled up his sleeve and slid it on. "Thanks" she smiled. The ship's horn blew and the captain was about to pull up the bridge. "You two better get on!" she pointed to the bridge. "Thank you" Kadaj looked back and ran off with Yazoo. The ship began to depart and they waved down at the fortune teller. "Oh yeah, my name's Kiki! It's been nice meeting you!" she yelled. "Thank you, Kiki!" the two of them called back to her. "Lets meet each other again sometime!' she called as she waved to them.

The ship turned towards the east towards the cliff. Kadaj looked up from his fang necklace and looked to the cliff to see something. Katara was standing there, waving and smiling along with two other boys. "Yazoo, look" Kadaj pointed to the cliff. Yazoo looked over and smiled seeing them wave. They both waved back, both with tears coming to their eyes seeing that Katara was with her children once again.


	7. Reflections

After being shown to their rooms, Kadaj sat down on his bed. "Brother" Kadaj said. Yazoo turned to him. "Do you think miss Katara is happy?" Kadaj asked. "Yes, brother. I think she is" Yazoo smiled. "The Lifestream, what do you think it's like, brother?" Kadaj asked. "I'm not sure" Yazoo shook his head. Kadaj rolled onto his side and looked out his window. The sun shone brightly, the birds flying past his window, the ocean glittering with light of the sun. Kadaj felt something gently rub his shoulder and he jumped up. "I'm sorry, Kadaj. Did I scare you?" Yazoo asked. "No" Kadaj shook his head. "Another rule of being strong Kadaj. It's okay to be afraid sometimes" Yazoo sat next to him. "What were you doing, brother?" Kadaj asked. "Your arm and leg. Do they still hurt?" Yazoo asked as he felt Kadaj's arm. "A little" Kadaj answered. "Brother, take off your clothing" Yazoo stood up.

Kadaj was a bit confused by his request, but did as he was told. Yazoo examined his partly naked brother. The bandages on his wounds didn't help much. There was dry blood that had ran down Kadaj's arm and leg and his bandage was red with dry blood. Yazoo didn't notice this until now, when they changed their clothes at Katara's house, they were in different rooms. He turned to Kadaj's clothes. The same color of dry blood from the fight. Yazoo looked to the door at the left side of the room and then back to Kadaj. "Brother, why don't you wash up" Yazoo suggested. Kadaj nodded as he tried to take off the bandages, but failed. "The next rule of being strong, is to let others help you when you need assistance" Yazoo walked over to him and helped him with the bandage. He gasped at what he saw. There were several deep piercings in Kadaj's shoulder, still sore from the bite. "I never knew it got like this. I should've taken better care of this" Yazoo whispered to himself. "What's wrong, brother?" Kadaj asked. Yazoo shook out of his thinking and looked to Kadaj. "Nothing" he smiled. He helped Kadaj to the bathroom and started the water. As Yazoo did this, Kadaj looked himself in the mirror. His hair was messy, his skin pale, there was a small black line circling his eyes, he looked terrible. He sighed. "Ready?" Yazoo asked. "Yes" Kadaj answered as he removed the cloth that was tied together to cover his groin.

"It's a little hot" Kadaj looked to Yazoo as the water beat on his chest. "Here, you control the temperature with this dial. Right to hot, left to cold. To turn it off, you push it in" Yazoo turned the water a little bit left. "Also, you should bathe with this. It's supposed to cleanse you and make you smell better" Yazoo handed him a bottle of blue liquid. "What is it?" Kadaj asked. "It's called body washed" Yazoo answered. "Okay, thank you brother" Kadaj opened the cap. Yazoo smiled before closing the door behind him. Kadaj took a bathing brush off the wall, sqeezed the bottle and the blue liquid fell onto the brush. Remembering the necklace, he took it off and set it on the sink before starting to brush himself. A small dog noise made Kadaj jump a little. He looked near the bottom of the shower curtains. A black dog noise was sniffing around the rims. The nose lifted and he could see two yellow eyes through the blurred curtains. Kadaj backed away to the wall of the shower, the eyes and nose reminding him of the bandersnatch. A set of sharp teeth grabbed onto the curtains and partly pulled open the curtains. Kadaj closed his eyes. The animal whined a small bit, asking for him to open his eyes. Kadaj peeked open his eyes to a grayish wolf in front of him. It tilted its head and sat down outside of the tub. "Don't hurt me" Kadaj held his arms. The wolf layed its head on the rims of the tub. Kadaj leaned down and slowly put his hand out to it. The wolf sniffed it and licked it a bit. "Fenrir" Kadaj whispered.

It looked up at him and perked its ears up. "Your shoulder" the boy's voice came. Kadaj looked down at his shoulder to the red bite marks. "It's nothing" Kadaj put his hand to it. The wolf jumped into the tub, letting the water wet his fur. Kadaj drew his hand back as the wolf looked up at him. It jumped up and set its paws on Kadaj's shoulders for balance. Kadaj fell backwards. "Different, different from others. A burden that you carry" it said. "Different?" Kadaj thought. "There is one like you, one who was once lost and still is" it pressed its head against Kadaj's cheek. "Like me?" Kadaj whispered. "So much chaos, all that is happening is hard to understand" the wolf let go and jumped out of the tub. "I am, confused" Kadaj looked to the side. "You're still a child, you have much to understand in the world. Stay close to your brother, and you'll make it through" the wolf looked back at him before phasing through the door. Kadaj sat in the tub for a long time, looking down at his shoulder, which was back to its regular tone and the bite marks partly faded, the pain gone.

"I am, a child" Kadaj whispered slowly to himself.

Yazoo looked down at Kadaj's Souba. It was covered in blood, but part of the blade still showed silver. "His rage, it powered the sword" Yazoo picked it up. He set the sword near his bed before getting up and leaving. Coming back a few minutes later, Yazoo picked it back up and took a cloth out of his pocket. Setting a cup of water next to him, he began to clean the sword. As the filth cleaned off, he saw his reflection. His hair was a little out of place, his eyes still a vibrant green, his skin as pale as his brother's, he smiled a little. "My little brother knows how to fight" Yazoo thought. He sheathed the sword and turned to his Velvet Nightmare. "Only four shots left" he thought. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a case of bullets. As he refilled the gun, he looked out the window. "The ocean, why's it so big?" Yazoo thought. "Another question I wonder. To Kadaj, I must be intelligent, but deep inside, I have so many questions to ask" Yazoo sighed. Looking over to Kadaj's clothes, he set the gunblade down and walked over to them. "I should get these cleaned for brother" he picked them up. Yazoo walked out the room and down the hall. Heading his way, was a young teenage maid. "Hi there. Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked with a sweet smile. "No, I was going to wash my brother's clothes" Yazoo shook his head. "I can wash those for your brother. It'll only take an hour" she suggested. "Can you do that?" Yazoo asked. "Sure" she chuckled. "Thank you" Yazoo handed her the bloody clothes. "You're welcome. Are these the only clothes he has?" she asked. "Yes" he nodded. "Well then he can use this robe" she handed him a blue robe. "Thank you" Yazoo thanked her and went back to his room.

Kadaj opened the door as Yazoo walked back into the room. "Brother, can you hand me my clothes?" Kadaj peeked his head out. "Your clothes are going to be washed, but here's a robe" he handed him the robe. "How do I put this on?" Kadaj asked. "I'll show you" Yazoo opened the door and stepped in. He helped Kadaj stick his arms through and tied the waist. "There" Yazoo said once he was done. "It feels strange" Kadaj looked down. "It's because of your clothes change. Your black clothes are a little tight, but this robe is flowy and soft" Yazoo explained. "It does feel a little more free" Kadaj looked at the sleeves. Kadaj walked out of the bathroom so Yazoo could take his shower and layed on the bed. He was tired and wanted to sleep after all of the action earlier that day. He uncovered his bed and layed down, closing his eyes.


	8. Drowning

Yazoo stepped out of the shower, wrapping his towel around his waist. Looking over to the sink, he saw Kadaj's necklace laying on the rim. "I should return this to brother" he picked it up. Opening the door as the humidity followed, Yazoo walked over to his sleeping brother. His eyes closed and chest rising and falling, he looked like the way he did before, a lost angel. Carefully, Yazoo sat down on his bed and put his hand gently on Kadaj's shoulder. Kadaj peeked open his eyes, but closed them again. "He's tired" Yazoo got up and picked up the robe laying on his bed. Putting it on, he looked outside. The sky was turning from an orange color, to a deep blue. "I should get some rest" he said, setting the necklace on the nightstand. He closed the blinds and layed down.

Later on that night, Kadaj tossed and turned in his bed. Yazoo felt something within him tell him there was something wrong with Kadaj. He opened his eyes to see Kadaj roll out of his bed and scream. "Kadaj!" Yazoo fell to him. "Yazoo, don't leave!" Kadaj screamed. "Kadaj! Kadaj!" Yazoo gently shook him. Kadaj opened his eyes and looked up to him. "Brother" Kadaj began to cry. "It's okay, Kadaj. I'm right here" Yazoo held him. "Yazoo" Kadaj sobbed on his brother's chest. Yazoo began to stroke his hair and hush to him. "A nightmare" Yazoo thought. "He was so scared. Something must've happened to me that frightened him" he got up and helped Kadaj back into his bed. "I almost felt his pain" Yazoo left the room and returned with a glass of water. Kadaj sat up in his bed, holding his knees and gently crying. "Here, drink this" he handed him the water. Kadaj drunk a little and set it down on the nightstand. "Yazoo" Kadaj turned to him. "Yes, Kadaj?" Yazoo asked as he layed the sheets back over him. "I had a nightmare something bad happened to you" Kadaj answered. "You can tell me about it in the morning" Yazoo layed back down in his bed. Kadaj sighed, but nodded. "Good night, brother" Yazoo closed his eyes. "Good night" Kadaj did the same.

Kadaj couldn't sleep. He feared of having the nightmare again and thought deeply if something bad really did happen to Yazoo. Sitting up, he slid out of bed and quietly walked out the door. In the dark, he didn't know where he was going on the ship. Several times he got lost and couldn't find his way back to his room. He went up some stairs and opened the door to the deck. "I guess I could stay up here for a while" Kadaj walked over to some chairs. He looked up at the sky and sighed. "This sky is so big and all those stars rule in it" he thought. He saw one of the stars shoot across the sky and blinked. "What was that?" he thought. He shook his head and layed back. A small noise made him look to the side. Fenrir walked to his side and looked at the sky. "What are you doing out here?" he asked. "I couldn't sleep" Kadaj answered as he looked back up to the sky. "You seem a bit tense" Fenrir examined Kadaj. He was trembling all over and his eyes looked filled with fright. "I had a bad dream" Kadaj held his arms. Fenrir moved closer to Kadaj and layed his head on Kadaj's shoulder.

"You told me there was somebody in the world who was like me" Kadaj pet Fenrir's head. "He is as lost as you are" Fenrir looked up at him. "He is?" Kadaj looked down at him. "He is filled with despair, hatred, and fear. The same as you" Fenrir came from under Kadaj's hand. "Do you look over him too?" Kadaj asked. "Sometimes, I mostly watch over you. You need me more than him" he walked a few feet away and began to lick Kadaj's leg. "Were you there, when I killed those men?" Kadaj asked. "Yes" Fenrir turned back to him. "I couldn't control myself. I was just, so angry at those men for killing miss Katara" Kadaj clutched his hands. "I know. I felt you pain and sorrow. She is safe now, nobody can hurt her and she is happy again. Doesn't that make you feel better?" Fenrir asked. "A little" Kadaj turned to the side. Fenrir's ears perked up and he walked back up to Kadaj. "What's wrong?" Kadaj asked. "Somebody is coming our way" Fenrir began to growl. "I am unarmed" Kadaj got up. "Stay behind me" Fenrir got infront of him. A man walked up from the stairs near the front of the ship and looked over to Kadaj. He wore the same outfit as the police did in Wutai. "You!" the man took out his sword and pointed it at him. Kadaj backed up. Another man dressed the same walked up behind him and took out his sword. "We're to arrest you for theft and murder" the man who came up first said. "Leave me alone!" Kadaj screamed.

The first samurai charged at him, but Fenrir jumped at him and bit into his arm. "Run, Kadaj!" Fenrir called back to him. Kadaj hesitated, the second samurai was heading for him and he had frozen in place. Fenrir tried to run back at him, but was too late. The samurai's sword had stabbed into Kadaj's hip. Kadaj fell backwards and hit the wall. "Stop it!" Kadaj grabbed onto the sword, but let go, feeling his hands bleed. "So, you seem alot weaker without your sword" the man pushed it in further. "Please, stop! I can't take this!" Kadaj yelled. "You'll suffer the same fate as when we killed that woman" he pushed it in even more. Kadaj began to bleed rapidly, his body shaking in fear, his hands weak. Kadaj could finally feel the sword go through him and feel more blood spill down his leg. Fenrir bit the man in the leg and threw him out of his way. "Kadaj!" Fenrir turned to him. Kadaj held his hip, the sword still stuck in the wound. Fenrir quickly took out the sword and threw it to the side. "Hurts, hurts so much" Kadaj cried. "Hold on" Fenrir put his paw over the wound, but was hit to the side by one of the samurai. "Take care of the mutt, I got the thief!" the samurai took hold of Kadaj's robe. The other held Fenrir down as Fenrir tried to escape. "You've done your last crime, boy" he dragged him over to the edge of the ship. Kadaj felt panic rise in him. "Fenrir!" he called back. Fenrir struggled until he could finally phase through the man's arms and run over to Kadaj. "I hope the fish are hungry!" the man threw Kadaj over the rail.

Kadaj fell into the ocean, water surronding his whole body, his blood flowing out of the wound. He tried to breathe, but couldn't. "Fenrir!" he tried to call in his mind, but could not reach him. "I'm going to die" Kadaj thought hesitantly. "Yazoo, help me, brother" Kadaj closed his eyes. He felt his life almost reach its ending point. A voice called out to him, but he couldn't understand it. "You don't deserve to die," a voice called out, "you're still a child. You won't die." Kadaj felt something warm brush up against his face and then his entire body. It felt grainy and wet, but it gave him warmth. Kadaj opened his eyes to a yellow colored ground. An animal was infront of him, sniffing his wet face. "Fenrir?" Kadaj whispered. The animal barked and wagged its tail. Adjusting his vision, Kadaj saw it was a small dog. "Where, where am I?" Kadaj thought. The animal licked his face. "Do you know where I am?" Kadaj asked. The dog turned around and barked. "What is it, Mimi?" a small boy ran over. The dog turned back around and barked. "Oh no! Hey, there's a man over here!" the boy turned around and waved to a group of people. The group ran over to him and began to examine Kadaj. "Somebody call an ambulance!" a man screamed as Kadaj fell into an unconcious state.

Yazoo woke up and pulled the blind's string near his bed. He sat up and yawned, turning to Kadaj's bed, he saw nothing. "Kadaj?" he got up and looked under the bed. "Brother?" he looked in the bathroom. He wasn't there either. "Something bad must've happened to him. Brother would have never left my side" Yazoo gritted his teeth. He looked back to the nightstand. Kadaj's necklace and orb were still on it. "He would've never left without these" he picked them up. Yazoo quickly changed his clothes and put his gun in the hostler. Looking to the wall, he saw Kadaj's backpack and Souba. Putting his on, setting the necklace and materia in the backpack, he picked up the Souba and put it around his waist. He ran out the door, grabbing Kadaj's pack as he went out the door. "Oh, hi there sir" the maid from before smiled as he stopped in front of her in the hallway. "Have you seen a silver haired boy anywhere?" Yazoo asked. "No, but I did wash your brother's clothes" she handed him his clothes. "Thank you" Yazoo said as he packed the clothes. "You know, I did hear some shouting last night and I saw somebody fall outside of my window. I told the captain we should dock right away" she whispered. "Kadaj" Yazoo looked to the side. "Once we dock at Costa del Sol, we'll start looking for him" she assured him. "Okay" Yazoo nodded and headed for the deck.

As he reached the deck, he noticed a group of people near a chair. "Where do you think it came from?" "Do you think somebody was murdered?" "Why are there dog prints? There are no animals allowed on this ship" the people questioned. Yazoo walked over and asked what was going on. "We found paw prints and blood when we got up here" a man answered. Yazoo looked down at the blood and knelt down. Touching it with his hands, it was still wet. "This is Kadaj's blood" Yazoo whipsered to himself.


	9. Saved

A woman quickly rushed to the room with a glass of water in her hand. "He should drink this" the woman slowed over to a bed. "Is he awake?" a boy asked. "He's slowly coming to" a man in a white coat answered. The woman leaned down and lifted Kadaj's head in her hand. She slowly and carefully put the glass to his lips. At first, nothing happened until she lifted the glass a bit more. Kadaj drunk a bit of the fluid before the woman lifted it away. He opened his green eyes to have three people looking over him. "Where am I?" Kadaj asked. Everybody sighed in relief. "You're at the inn of Costa del Sol" the doctor answered. "How did I get here?" Kadaj sat up on the pillow. "You were washed up on the beach" the boy answered. "Do you remember anything of how you got there or how you got yourself in this condition?" the woman asked.

Kadaj laid back in the bed and held his head. "I remember going out on the deck of the ship I was on. I talked with Fenrir and then we were attacked by two police men from Wutai. One stabbed me and threw me off the deck. That's all I can remember" Kadaj took his hand off his head. "You must be lucky we found you. You were bleeding so much I had to wrap your hip many times" the doctor smiled. Kadaj pulled the sheets off his body and looked down at his wrapped hip. The woman turned away, blushing with embarrasment. "I am still naked" Kadaj thought. "We got you some clothes you can wear while you're here" the boy handed Kadaj some clothes. Kadaj thanked him and tried to get up, but was jolted back down due to the pain. "Take it easy. That's not a fully healed wound" the doctor advised him. Kadaj nodded and slowly got up to change. "They fit you well" the woman said after he had fully changed. Kadaj looked in the mirror near him. He wore blue shorts and a yellow short sleeved shirt. "They're nice" Kadaj sat back down on the bed. "I picked them out for you" the boy smiled. "That is a good thing, but I suggest you stay in bed for the rest of the time until you're better. I already paid for the stay so you should be fine for a couple of days" the doctor got up from his bed. "We'll check on you every now and then" the woman smiled as she walked out. "Get well soon" the boy waved as he went out the door. "Try and get some rest" the doctor said as he closed the door. Kadaj laid back on the pillow and closed his eyes.

"Attention all passengers, we will docking at Costa del Sol in ten minutes. Please gather all your belongings and prepare to dock. Thank you for choosing Sea Gull Cruiselines" the captain said over the intercom. Yazoo stood in his room, looking out the window. "Brother" Yazoo put his hand to the window. "I had a dream that you were thrown into the ocean by two men, but I thought it was a dream" Yazoo thought. He slowly clutched his fists and hit the window. "I'll kill who ever did that to you. I'll rip out their organs and spill their blood" Yazoo growled. "Did you hear him last night? He was all 'Please, make it stop! I'm so weak now!'" a man laughed. "Yeah, luckily the fish got to eat tonight. Now we take our vacation and return to Wutai to get our reward" another man laughed as well. Yazoo turned around and saw the two samurai walk pass his open door. "Them, I know it was them" Yazoo gritted his teeth and walked out the door. "So, you threw my brother off the ship?" Yazoo asked angrily. "So, what of it? You want us to throw you off to see if he's still alive?" the two men began to laugh. Yazoo took out his gunblade, his hair suddenly starting to rise into the air, his eyes glowing brightly. The two calmed down and backed away seeing Yazoo's appearance while taking out their swords. Yazoo began to walk towards them, his gun pointed straight at their chests. "I'd like to see you try and survive my gun" he growled.

Fenrir phased through the door of Kadaj's room. He looked over to the bed to see Kadaj sleeping peacefully. He walked over and licked Kadaj's face. Kadaj peeked his eyes open to him. "Fenrir" Kadaj pet his fur. "You're okay" Fenrir laid his head on the bed. "Are you okay?" Kadaj asked. Fenrir yawned. "I can't be harmed. I am a spirit" Fenrir answered. "Those two men were Wutain police. Why do they still want the fang?" Kadaj asked. "That fang used to be mine. The man who brought it there didn't receive it when they said that I bit him. In fact none of the story is true" Fenrir explained. "What really did happen?" Kadaj sat up a little. "You know how bandersnatches live in the continent where the crater is, correct?" Fenrir asked. Kadaj nodded. "I used to roam in those parts watching over them. A man, seeking to find me, and use me against innocent people, found me sleeping. I awoke when I sensed him aproaching and attacked. He took out his weapon and tried to strike at me. Since I was the most intelligent spirit in fighting, I was able to pin him down. He hesitated and found the nearest rock to throw. It struck my face and broke the fang off. He stole it and ran off. Since I was still a bit young back then, I couldn't heal myself easily and I was a little vulnerable to attacks. My siblings, knowing I was in need, cared for me until I was better. The man brought the necklace to Wutai and made up the story of his bravery, but a few days later, while he was fishing, my brother Levithian sunk his boat and killed him" Fenrir finished his story. "How come you never took the fang back?" Kadaj asked. "I knew someone like you would need it" Fenrir answered. Kadaj started to pet him again.

Yazoo breathed heavily, his eyes still set on the samurai's. "Please, forgive us! We'll help you find your brother and leave you alone!" he screamed. Yazoo clutched his gunblade. "Why should I? I can tell you're lying" Yazoo smirked. "No, really! We'll help!" the other samurai got up from the ground, holding his chest to stop the bleeding. "All I'm hearing are a bunch of lies" Yazoo aimed his gun. "Please! We promise! We swear to Levithian we will!" the other samurai started to get up. Yazoo pulled his gun back to the side. "Fine, but you better keep your word" Yazoo turned around. The other two got up and picked up their swords as Yazoo began to walk away. They jumped up behind him, swords held above his head. He pulled the trigger. Yazoo watched as the two fell to the ground, eyes in their sockets completely white, mouths still open. "Pathetic" Yazoo whispered. Seeing the bloodstains on his gun and clothes, he quickly took out a wipe from his pack and wiped himself off. "Rest in pieces" Yazoo walked forward again. "Attention passengers, we have now docked at Costa del Sol! We thank you for riding our voyage and hope to see you again on Sea Gull Crusielines!" the captain said through the intercom. "Brother, I feel you're near here" Yazoo gasped. He put his pack back on and headed towards the deck. "I'm coming, brother" Yazoo said as he pushed the door open.

Fenrir's ear's perked up. "Is it the samurai?" Kadaj asked. Fenrir shook his head. Standing on his hind feet, he began to take a human form, the form he had in Wutai of the silver haired boy. "Hi there, I came to check up on you. Is this a friend of yours?" the woman from before came in with the boy. "Yes, I'm sorry if I came in without your permission. My name's Kael and I wanted to see if my friend was alright" Fenrir answered. "Oh, I see" the woman smiled. "Your friend is really lucky" the boy walked over. "Yes, this boy here found him on the beach" the woman explained. "Yeah, my name is Van. I'm visiting to see some friends of mine" the boy smiled. "How long are you staying?" Fenrir asked. "I'm going back home tomorrow. It's too bad I won't be able to come back here for along time though" Van sighed. "How come?" Kadaj asked. "I've been saving up alot of money to get here for four years on my own. Where I come from, I have no family, no home, and nobody to turn to. I've only been here a few weeks and I still don't want to leave" Van shook his head. "Why don't you stay with your friends?" the woman asked. "I would if I could, but their parents won't let me. They say I can't because I'm filthy and they'd have no room for me. That's one of the reasons they moved away, to get away from me. They thought I was a bad person, but I'm not. They just don't understand!" Van stomped his foot and looked down, trying to hide his tears.

Kadaj thought for a moment. He had no home and the only family and person he could talk to was Yazoo. "I am almost the same way" Kadaj whispered. "What?" Van looked up and wiped his tears away. "I have no real home, I only have a brother, and some people don't understand me" Kadaj shook his head. "Where is your brother?" the woman asked. "I think he's still on the boat. We were coming here on a cruise ship and that's where I was thrown off the deck" Kadaj answered. "I'm sure he's worried" the woman sighed. "Do you ever get lonely, Van?" Fenrir asked. "Most of the time. Other times, I'm not since my dog Mimi is with me" he shook his head. "What did you mean you had no family?" Kadaj asked, thinking back a few moments ago. "My parents were killed, I have no relatives, I have nothing" he answered. "How have you been able to stay alive?" the woman asked. "There's a nice black haired woman there who sometimes brings food to some of the homeless kids. She's really nice, I get money by helping her out at her bar" he answered. "Homeless children?" Fenrir raised an eyebrow. "There are tons of us who're homeless. There's only one orphanage there, and it's almost filled up. We're all slowly dying, nobody's really caring for us or trying to help us except the black haired lady. The one thing we have in common besides being homeless, is having this black scar on us" he unbuttoned his shirts to show a dark tint spreading from his arm, up to his neck. "Oh my, what is that?" the woman gasped. "Some people call it Geostigma, but I'm not really sure. It hurts us alot and we can't do anything about it. There are no doctors who will help us. Even if we do find one who will, there's no cure" he buttoned his shirt back up. "Maybe I could adopt you" the woman suggested. "No, you can't. Most of the kids who have this, have to stay in Midgar to stop the spread of the virus" the boy shook his head.

"If there's anything I can do" the woman started. Van shook his head, but suddenly collasped to the side, holding his arm. "It hurts!" he started to scream. "Hang on, I'll go get the doctor" the woman picked him up and ran out the door. "Fenrir" Kadaj turned to him. "The boy must have a strong will to come here to see a friend, even though he is sick and is poor" Fenrir smiled a bit. "I feel, worried" Kadaj looked down at his hands. "About the boy living?" Fenrir turned to him. Kadaj nodded. "I have seen some of this in Midgar. Children laying in the streets, trying to stay alive. Being uncared for by some parents and other adults. Truely inhuman" Fenrir walked over and closed the door. Kadaj held his knees together tightly. "I want Yazoo" he whispered. "You should get back to sleep. I shouldn't have woken you up" Fenrir gently pushed Kadaj down to his pillow. "Okay" Kadaj said gently and closed his eyes.

Outside, the cruiseship docked. Yazoo walked through the crowd off the ship and over to a nearby sailor. "Have you seen a boy with short silver hair?" Yazoo asked. "No, I'm sorry though" the sailor shook his head. Yazoo stormed away to the main square. "Brother, where are you? I feel you're close, but I can't find you" Yazoo stopped in the crowd and clutched his fists.


End file.
